James, Day 1
James Chapter 1
Hang in There — Keep the faith
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2 – 4).
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At the beginning of the first century AD, the Jewish Christians were spread out around the Roman empire. God had a message for them, and James (likely the half-brother of Jesus) delivered that message in 45 – 49 AD, making the letter of James probably the oldest book in the New Testament.
The main message of the book is, “Live out your faith through genuine religion,” and the book contains many applications of that message, that parallel Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. While James teaches about doing good works, in fact, James is talking about “keeping the faith.”
James’s letter is like the Proverbs of the New Testament, giving a stream of instructions on Christian living. Throughout the first chapter, these life instructions have a recurring theme: Persevere! Be faithful in the face of difficulties! Hold a steady course in your faith!
Perseverance is “continuing to do something in a determined way, despite difficulties” (Cambridge dictionary). Here are some of God’s instructions on perseverance:
● In trials that test your faith, consider the trials to be joyful, just as Jesus taught in Matt 5:12. Then be steadfast (James 1:3 – 4).
● When asking God for wisdom, ask with stable, consistent, undoubting faith (James 1:6).
● When tempted, be steadfast, knowing that God is aware of your situation (James 1:12).
● Because God is unchanging, know that we are His “firstfruits,” redeemed, holy, and dedicated to the Lord (James 1:17).
● Persevere in doing what The Word says, not just listening, but doing (James 1:25). Simply listening to God’s Word without living as His Word says is like studying to ride a bike by only reading about it but never getting on the bike. You can’t learn to ride without practice.
● Keep oneself unstained from the world, actively showing God’s love to people (James 1:27).
Notice that most of these battles that require perseverance are a struggle against ourselves. So, if we could, by our own strength and self-discipline, win a battle against ourselves, would God be glorified? No; we would be glorified. Two reasons not to fight this battle alone are: (1) we would lose, and (2) God would not be glorified.
Perseverance is more than a battle of our will against the world. We are not expected to simply reach deeper into our feisty, scrappy disposition and fight the evils of the world. In fact, we are clearly instructed not to trust our own understanding but to trust God (Proverbs 3:5 – 6). Perseverance is God continually at work in our lives. This requires a strong, enduring relationship with God — a relationship that we have through the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus. Then, we can “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). Perseverance in our relationship with God, through Jesus, allows God to fight our battle.
If Christ is in you, you are not alone, and you also have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s title (paraclete in Greek) means the one “called alongside in aid.” So, if we remain filled with the Spirit, we should not have to dig deeper inside ourselves to walk the Christian life; our helper will be really easy to find.
So, when the book of James talks about doing good, the book is talking about our faith. To win this battle over ourselves, we must give up to God. That’s faith.
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“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence…” (2 Peter 1:3).
God bless you,
Andy Nordquist